Bouncer's Blenheim

 This WW2 fiction is part of a series based on Gus Beaumont, an RAF pilot who flies a remarkable (probably a bit too impressive) array of aircraft in conventional operations and clandestine flights for SOE. I was attracted to this book because it involves operations in the Mediterranean during the early war period, including Greece.

Our hero was drawn into clandestine operations by the nascent SOE. He was to fly with 421 Flight, whose task was to give early warning of bomber raids and provide cover for the intelligence gained from ULTRA. There was such a flight, although established by Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, for just this purpose. However, the book gets slightly silly when Gus, a Pilot Officer, is told about ULTRA. Needless to say, this intelligence was kept secret, and a Pilot Officer certainly wouldn't need to know. Particularly one embarking on dangerous drops over occupied France for SOE!

Gus is then sent to Greece and flies Blenheim's in the bombing of Italian ports in Albania. 

I saw this Bleheim at RAF Cosford a few weeks ago.

He is tasked with crash-landing near Corfu to join the Greek resistance and ascertain their political leanings. While that was a concern of SOE in 1944, after Churchill's Percentages Agreement with Stalin, it is hard to imagine this being a priority in 1941. SOE worked with Royalist and Communist resistance forces during the Italian and German occupation. It is certainly not important enough to deliberately crash a scarce bomber and endanger the crew.

He escapes Corfu by capturing an Italian plane and flying it to Crete, narrowly avoiding being shot down by Gladiators. He then has stints in Palestine (meeting Jewish underground forces) and, finally, Malta.

It is not a bad story, with the action moving quickly and reasonably well written. However, the history is a bit irritating in places and probably not good enough for me to finish the series.

The Marchman

 The latest in my Nigel Tranter reread tells the story of Sir John Maxwell, Warden of the West March, during the middle of the 16th century. Tranter was based in eastern Scotland and wrote less about the West, so this is an unusual subject for him.

The West, Middle, and East Marches were on each side of the Anglo-Scottish border. The Maxwells were usually the Wardens of the West March, based in Caerlaverock Castle. The wardens of the Marches on either side of the border were entrusted with the difficult task of keeping the peace and punishing wrongdoers. 

Caerlaverock has a very distinctive design.

John Maxwell was the second son, so he would not usually have become the Warden. However, he married well into the Herries family (Deputy Wardens), and his older brother was less militarily inclined and died early, leaving only a child. This was a period of considerable conflict and weak rule in Scotland.

The period covered is similar to Tranter's book Rough Wooing, but it examines events from the West. You can read the history in my review of that book. Still, Maxwell was at most of the battles, including the victory at Ancrum Moor and the defeat at Pinkie. He was typically at the head of his border mosstroopers, some of the most effective cavalry in the Scots army of the period.

Maxwell was a strong supporter of the Crown against several noble factions that controlled the country without a monarch. It was also a time of religious fervour, with the reformation in full swing. Although inclined to support religious reform, he still supported Mary Queen of Scots when she returned to Scotland. The book ends before the later period of Mary's reign and abdication. So, it doesn't cover the Battle of Langside, in which Maxwell commanded Mary's cavalry and protected her afterwards.

National events punctuate the book, which is mainly focused on the duties of a March Warden. If you are interested in the Border Reivers, then this is a good read. I have been playing some of the more significant battles recently in 15mm, using DBA Renaissance, and for the typical border skirmishing, you can't beat Border Wars.

Targe 2024

 The Targe show is held in the small town of Kirrienuir in Angus. It used to be a full-scale show in the high school, but it is now more of an extended club open day in their normal venue. There are about a dozen, mostly participation games, an excellent bring-and-buy, and Dave Thomas with all the Perry Miniatures ranges and much more besides. There is lots of good chat about the game and related historical issues.

I took another GDWS Cyprus 1974 game in the 50th anniversary year. I love the puzzled looks when folk look down on the game, wondering how T34s and Marmon Herrington armoured cars get into the same army!

Blatant positional advertising!

Not for the first time, the Turkish Air Force saved the day.

There were participation games for everyone. Sadly, running a game meant no time to sample them, but these are the ones that caught my eye.

Sudan game that won the best in show.

Impressive Gladiator game - Arena of Blood

Post-apocalypse game

Pegasus Bridge

Chain of Command

Gangs of Rome in a construction site!

The show was busy, and it was well worth the trip. Thanks to Dale and his team for organising it.

The Black Watch Museum

 I was travelling to Angus today for the Targe wargames show tomorrow in Kirriemuir. I haven't visited the Black Watch Museum in Balhousie Castle, Perth, for many years, so it was a good opportunity to visit another of our fine regimental museums.

The Black Watch, known formally as the Royal Highland Regiment. is one of the oldest in the British Army, founded in 1725. It initially served as a policing force tasked with maintaining peace in the Scottish Highlands and preventing unrest after the Jacobite risings. Known for their dark tartan, they earned the nickname 'The Black Watch'. 

They have served in major global conflicts, from the War of the Austrian Succession to the World Wars and, more recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Black Watch is deeply rooted in Scottish heritage and has contributed significantly to British military history. Today, they are part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The museum exhibits are displayed chronologically, starting with the independent companies that formed the basis of the regiment.

There are several famous military paintings, including this one of the Battle of Fontenoy 1745. 

Surviving colours are an important part of any regimental museum.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment served in Egypt, The Peninsular, and India.

Then the Crimea. This is a famous Gibb painting - Comrades, the Last Request, which also formed the basis for the stained glass, more colourful, although somewhat less realistic!

They served in all the primary WW1 campaigns, although sadly, there were no exhibits from the Salonika Campaign.

The same happened in WW2, including with The Chindits.

Field Marshall Wavell started his career with the Black Watch in 1901. He was not Churchill's favourite General, but he is one of mine. 

The regiment has served in all the major post-war conflicts, including Korea and Cyprus.

Well worth a visit if you are near Perth. It has car parking, a decent shop and a tea room as well.

Napoleonic PoW escapees - Donat Henchy O'Brien

A uniform used by a local sailor to trick his way out of prison during the Napoleonic Wars, which is on display at the National Maritime Museum, received extensive coverage last week. Charles Hare's story reminded me of another Napoleonic escape I touched upon in my book The Frontier Sea, which I meant to return to. 

Donat Henchy O'Brien served on HMS Amphion with Sir William Hoste, and he was mentioned in Hoste's biography when he was picked up off Trieste. This led me to read the background in O'Brien's 1839 memoir, republished in 1902 by Sir Charles Oman. Only the later part of his career was relevant to my book. Still, the earlier story is, if anything, more remarkable than Hare's escape. As Oman says, 'I imagine that no prisoner ever made three such desperate dashes for liberty as did this enterprising Irish midshipman.'

Donat O’Brien entered the Royal Navy on 16th December 1796, when only eleven, even younger than the average midshipman. He was serving on HMS Hussar when that ship ran aground on the French coast, and he was captured in February 1804. He was initially held at Verdun, and his future prospects looked bleak because Napoleon had decided to end the age-old practice of exchanging prisoners. He and a few fellow officers decided to revoke their parole and planned an escape, collecting the necessary provisions and equipment for a dash across France, mainly at night, to a channel port.

They each collected a short piece of rope, bound them together, and scaled down the fortress walls. They had money and decent French but no papers, so night marched their way to Arras and the Etaples and, when challenged by locals, claimed they were conscripts joining the army. Two of his colleagues were spotted by customs officers (the uniform Hare used), and they claimed to be American sailors trying to get home. This ruse failed when an American interviewed them with the Mayor, who identified them as British. 

They were sent back to Verdun under escort but managed to escape. At times, he got some assistance from locals, but it was mostly an arduous trek on rough paths, sleeping in woods at night during a cold winter. This time, he got as far as Strasbourg before his identity was discovered, with his description having been circulated on a list of escapees. 

He was put in irons and sent to the fortress of Bitche, which is largely intact today. As you can see, this was the Colditz of its day. Escapees were confined to subterranean cells. This was January 1808.

By August 1808, they had yet again put together an escape plan that involved scaling down the walls in stages. They made their way east, again mainly by night, occasionally risking stays at inns and farmhouses. They got to Baden and then Bavaria, which was a French-allied territory. 

They crossed the border into Austria and were stopped by Austrian soldiers. “Will you surrender?” said he; and what option of an answer was left to us in any case, when each had a rifle presented to his head? “Most willingly,” I replied, “but are we not in the Emperor’s dominions in Kaisersland?” How my heart beat with joy when he answered the “Yes, Sir,”—Ya Mynheer. Never did the sun behold more willing prisoners.

They maintained their identity as American sailors until the local governor explained that he would not return them to Bavaria and helped them travel to Trieste. The former British consul there helped them get a boat, which they rowed out towards the blockading Royal Navy frigate. This was HMS Amphion, which O'Brien had previously served on, and two officers recognised him. When they reached Malta, they found five more of their fellow escapees. Admiral Collingwood appointed him as a lieutenant on HMS Warrior, and he took part in the capture of several Ionian islands. He was later transferred to Amphion and fought at the Battle of Lissa in 1811. O’Brien reached the rank of rear-admiral on 8th March 1852 and died on 13th May 1857, aged 73.

The details in his memoirs are remarkable, and Oman only slightly edited them. As I said in my book, his story pales even the fictional Hornblower story. I first read the original in the British Library, but there is now a Kindle version for only £1.99. This is absolutely outstanding value for a great story worthy of a film.

Yugoslavia and Greece 1940-41

 This new Osprey by Basilio Di Martino and Pier Paolo Battistelli looks at the Axis air assault in the Balkans in the early stages of the Second World War. Christopher Shores's very detailed book on this subject, published by Grubb Street in 1987, is available, but there is certainly room for a more concise and readable book on the subject.  

There were two, arguably three, air campaigns involved: the Italian invasion of Greece and the later German attack on Yugoslavia and Greece. The Axis air forces operated mainly at the tactical level to support ground operations, although the Italian medium bombers were ill-suited to these operations in challenging conditions.

The authors start by assessing the capabilities of the Axis air forces. The Regia Aeronautica fielded around 300 aircraft for the Greek campaign at the limit of the logistical support available from Albanian airfields. The Luftwaffe was better equipped with 500 aircraft, although the late addition of an attack on Yugoslavia required a rapid change of plan.

The defenders were considerably weaker. The Hellenic Air Force had around 150 operational aircraft, including obsolete types. Airfields were often poor, and spare parts were scarce for such a diverse range of aircraft. The Yugoslav Air Force was numerically strong and quite well equipped with some 460 frontline aircraft, 340 of which were operational in the fighter and bomber units. These were mostly modern types, although the same could not be said for ground support aircraft. The need to deploy in dispersed airstrips made communications challenging. The RAF had the aircraft to take on the Italians and Germans, but they were also limited to the available airfields in Greece.

The next chapter examines the campaign objectives. The Italians suffered from changing objectives as the land campaign faltered, and like all the air forces, they were hampered by bad weather. The Hellenic Air Force focused on air defence, while the RAF bombed the Albanian ports. The book then details the actual campaign, supported by excellent maps and complete orders of battle. There are several colour plates to keep the modellers happy, even if my efforts at painting Italian camouflage leave much to be desired. I have a soft spot for the Gladiator and the CR-42, even though building kits with all those struts is a nightmare. I was at the RAF Museum on Friday admiring their Gladiator.

In the later air battles over Athens, the few remaining Greek aircraft and the RAF fought valiantly against overwhelming odds. There is a fine colour plate of the available Hurricanes of both No.33 and No.80 Squadrons led by Squadron Leader Pattle, the South African air ace. However, many Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground due to the absence of early warning systems. After the RAF was neutralised, the Luftwaffe began an anti-shipping campaign. Overall figures show that 97 vessels definitely sunk from April 20 to 30, plus another 11 probable, totalling some 162,000 tons.

In the Greek campaign, the role played by the air forces on both sides was limited due to shortcomings in doctrine and tactics, poor logistics, and a lack of effective solutions to air-to-ground co-operation on the Italian side, and a shortage of equipment and, again, poor logistics on the Greek side. It was a long campaign of attrition, and attrition was playing in favour of the Italians, with the Hellenic Air Force becoming less and less relevant. The RAF had some impact in its attacks on Albanian harbours but was otherwise overrun by the German advance. The Germans considered the campaign a success, although they had supply problems and failed to prevent the evacuation of the Allied forces from Greece.

For the wargamer, while the air battles are certainly playable using Blood Red Skies or similar, most gamers will use air power to support land operations. 

My 1/72nd scale Macchi C.200 Saetta

Silk Roads

On Saturday, before the football, I had a free morning in London, which allowed me to visit the new exhibition at the British Museum on the Silk Roads. Peter Frankopan's book widened my understanding of the various east-west trade routes, and the exhibits in this display give a real feel of how the world was interconnected long before air travel and the internet.

Like all of the British Museum's special exhibitions, they use exhibits from across the world and their extensive collection. The layout is roughly geographical, starting in Japan and China and working westward. There are lots of silks in various forms, including this funerary banner of a high-ranking Uyghur from around 900AD.

Some are murals that tell a story of international relations, such as this Sogdian 'Hall of the Ambassadors'.

Of course, the Vikings get everywhere! 

Possibly my favourite exhibit. The earliest known chess pieces in the world were probably from India and made of ivory. Excavated in Samarkand in 700AD.

The Byzantines initially disparaged Sasanian clothing, but by 500AD, they adopted their designs.  This one is better tailored than the traditional Byzantine style and is made of linen, silk and cashmere. It would cost a pretty penny today.

Relations between Islamic and Christian kingdoms in Spain were not always warlike. This ivory cross shows Islamic influences and was probably a diplomatic gift from Cordoba to Pamplona.

This was another diplomatic gift, representing an elephant that Harun al-Rashi sent to Charlemagne. 

Finally, this tiny coin demonstrates the world's interconnectedness during the so-called Dark Ages. This coin was minted by King Offa, copying an Abbasid dinar, inserting his own name between the Arabic script which says, 'There is no God but Allah'. We have to assume his priests couldn't read Arabic!

A fascinating exhibition, and well worth a look if you are in London.